A huge thank you to all of our customers who write in or email to tell us about how our products are performing. We welcome all feedback (good and bad) so that we can constantly try and improve our range. If you have any feedback you would like to share, please address it to Marketing Manager @ Lansdown Country, 41-45 Richmond Terrace, Carmarthen, Carms. SA31 1HG or email me at merchandising@lansdowncountry.co.uk
Below is a selection of some of our feedback:
Gundog Coats | Shooting Jumpers | Horse Rugs
Gundog Coats
Stylish Springer Spaniels
"We recently bought eight coats from you for our working Springer Spaniels. They fit perfectly, help dry the dogs and appear to keep them warmer. These are an essential piece of attire for living in Somerset and we are very pleased with our purchase. The attached picture shows them modelling your coats.”
- Richard Overson (March 2013)
Bespoke Coat
“Hi Marc,
We received the coats last week and we are so pleased and especially grateful to you for making a bespoke coat for our springer spaniel. We love the coats they are just what we needed to keep our dogs warm and dry and our house less mud splattered!”
- Sian Norman (February 2013)
A Great Product
“Hello,
I just wanted to say how wonderful the coat is which we purchased recently... Every dog should have one, I will definitely be recommending it to others. Many thanks.”
- Angela Batty (December 2012)
They do what it says on the tin!
“Dear Pia,
We recently bought a pair of your dog coats for our working spaniels. I am writing to express our complete satisfaction with these coats. They really do everything you claim. The coats wick away moisture leaving the dogs dry after being soaked from swimming/working.We will be buying more soon..... Once again, many thanks”
- Major A J Cocker PWRR (October 2012)
Trialling our Dog Coats
In October 2011, at Bisley Live Shooting Show, I met and chatted with Stephen Harrison ‘One man and his Gundogs’ and Howard Kirby from Mullenscote Gundogs. After admiring their demonstrations, I asked them if they ever used Gun-dog coats and if they would be willing to trial ours. Both do use coats – a coat for drying and a second coat for warmth, and I wanted them to test how well our gundog coats could combine the two functions. Here is what they said (in two stages as the Winter progressed!):
December 2011:
“My cocker was absolutely soaked and was shivering with cold by the time we got to lunch. I put the coat on and left her in the truck whilst we ate. 45 mins later, I retrieved her from the truck. The first thing I noticed was that she wasn’t shivering as she normally does when she’s wet and has cooled down from hunting. She was clearly warm and had even fallen asleep – something she has never done before. Her head, tummy and legs were still damp, but when I slipped the coat off, not only was the fur on her back & flanks dry but the inside of the coat that had been next to the skin was dry too. So full marks all round so far!
As to the fit, my coat fits perfectly. Mine is a size 50 cm and Howard’s is one size larger. I like the crew elasticated collar as it is easy to put on but then doesn’t ride down her neck like my towelling coat. The strap can be a bit fiddly, particularly if the Velcro has caught up on the coat but once it’s straight, it’s easy to fit. I like the idea of having the strap fixed to the coat unlike my towelling coat where the 2 are separate. I have often misplaced the strap! Some prefer to have clip fasteners on an adjustable strap or no fastenings at all, but I much prefer the ability to keep the coat as close to the skin as possible.
If you forced me to find faults, my personal preference would be to have the sides a little longer so that when the coat is fastened, it covers her underside as well. This is because my spaniels often cut themselves on their chests, flanks & tummy in the brambles, blackthorn etc when they are hunting. At lunchtime, if a spaniel has been cut, I will dress the wound, either with a staple or with antiseptic cream. Having a gap between the 2 sides when fastened means that they can still potentially lick and worry the cuts whereas I would prefer to have them covered when they are unsupervised in the car. Plus it would mean that their underside would dry out too. But it&lquo;s a small point and a only personal preference and will, of course, depend on how deep-chested the individual dog is.
Overall, to date, I’m very impressed. I’ll be interested to see what happens when the weather turns really grotty and the outside of the coat gets wet too.”
February 2012:
“I promised a report on the coats’ performance at the end of the season.
There is not a great deal to add to my report to you on 1 December. I have discussed with Howard how he got on with the dog coat (and his sweater!) and the following comments reflect both my and his opinions. The Lansdown coats supplied to Howard and me have had regular use throughout the season. They have been used in all weathers, primarily to keep the dogs warm during October to December and, latterly, when the dogs were both cold and wet. They have been used on dogs that were soaking wet and they have been worn when it has rained on to the coats. On average, the coats have been used 3 times a week since the start of the season. They have been used on a variety of breeds: cockers, springers, sprockers, springer/collie cross, young labradors and others.
The coats have performed remarkably well. The significant advantage over other coats we have used is that moisture is wicked away from the dogs’ coats to the outside, leaving the dogs’ skin dry and warm. Previously, with towelling coats, the coat has absorbed the moisture but has remained wet and left the dogs cold. With the Lansdown coats, the dogs are dried and kept dry. The only exception to this, I found, was when the dogs were wearing the coats outside and it has been raining. On these occasions, the "wicking" properties did not work as well, leaving both the outside of the coat as well as the inside wet. I suspect that the coats are not designed to be waterproof, so this is not surprising. However, in the future, it might be possible to develop a coat that is both waterproof and breathable: we feel that this would have appeal across the breed range, not just to owners of gundogs. (Lansdown says: This is absolutely right. Lansdown Gundog coats are designed to be showerproof but not waterproof and the coats would not be able to wick moisture away in constant rain. However, watch this space as we have a waterproof version (which does wick) in development!)
The next big advantage is snugness and easiness of fit. The elasticated collar makes for a snug fit around the neck thereby trapping more air between coat and body and accelerating the drying process. The collar is easy to pull over a dog’s head and, contrary to my expectations, the collar has not stretched with multiple usage. The collar has not chafed or caused irritation – something that we both have experienced with other coats whose collars were made out of material, plastic or leather.
The Velcro strap is easy to use but, because both Howard and I tend to throw our coats in the back of the trucks when not in use, we often found the strap stuck either to itself or to other items. This was not, I must emphasise, a major drawback: it’s just that with the quality of a coat such as this, it is hard to identify deficiencies. The comments made in my interim report below about the length of the sides still stand – although Howard does not necessarily share my concerns. He feels that a coat with longer sides may be less wieldy and more difficult to fasten. My concern is to protect the underside of the dog when cut and grazed.
The coats look good too. Several handlers have approached me and Howard with admiring comments, asking where we got the coat from. So the coats tick the aesthetics box too! Overall, it has been a real pleasure to trial these coats. Now that we have them, we wonder how we managed without them.”
- Howard Kirby (February 2012) Lains Shooting School Ltd & Mullenscote Dog Training Centre
Gundog Coats | Shooting Jumpers | Horse Rugs
Shooting Jumpers
“I bought my Lansdown lightweight V neck jumper just under a year ago and I’ve worn it almost every day since! I wear it all the time because it’s suitable for almost everything I do as a professional dog trainer, shooting instructor, business owner as well as for my own leisure pursuits. It is smart, practical, hard wearing and affordable. I’ve worn it in all weathers whilst out trialling and training my and other people’s dogs, I’ve worn it out shooting on informal days, it’s not been out of place on the “smartest” of commercial shoots and it’s equally good for casual everyday outdoor wear. The main reason I like it is that I hardly notice I’m wearing it: it is light enough to allow me the flexibility of movement I need for shooting but at the same time robust enough to keep me warm and dry. It’s been rained on, snowed on and even hailed on but has still kept me as warm and dry as you could hope for from a lightweight jumper. Whilst it’s kept its shape and hasn’t stretched, there are now a few signs of wear and tear with all the use it’s had. The point of the “V” on the V neck has begun to fray – probably due more to the way I take it off than anything else! Other than that, it’s still smart enough for our more formal occasions, such as the large number of gundog displays we do all over the country and I hope it’ll last me a few more years yet. Having said that, I would like to try out the heavyweight version too, as the lightweight version probably isn’t best placed to cope with some of the freezing temperatures we had earlier this year.
In summary, my Lansdown jumper has been a great investment: I wish I had more of them! They are ideal country wear.”
- Howard Kirby (October 2012) Lains Shooting School Ltd & Mullenscote Dog Training Centre
“I have two light weight Crew Necks and a medium weight crew neck pullover. I am entirely satisfied with them. They are well made and robust. I am wearing the light weight pullover most days now that the weather is cooler, I find it both warm and comfortable. I use the medium weight pullover on shooting days. It fits well under my shooting coat and is also warm and comfortable.
I send my best wishes for your continued success.”
- Trevor Andreae (November 2012)
“Hi all at Lansdown,
I would just like to tell you how I'm very pleased with my lightweight jumper. It is definitely one of the best I have ever owned and worn in the shooting field. Also the dog coats are absolutely fantastic & they really do keep your dogs dry and warm.MANY THANKS”
- Leo Brown, YORK (January 2013)
“Hi, I just wanted to write to say thank you for your great service before Christmas.
My dad loves his (heavyweight crew neck) jumper. He lives up in the hills on the south edge of Edinburgh, and at this time of year, although we've just a flurry of snow here and there, its generally been about -5c every day since early Jan. He told me he finds the jumper really warm and has found himself surprised to find he's not wearing a jacket as he feels so toasty.
Many thanks again for your great service and fab product.”
- Heather Anderson (January 2013)
"Dear Lansdown,
I have just received the jumper I ordered from you after speaking to you on the 'phone. To say I am pleased would be an understatement. Your service on the telephone led me in the right direction then ordering on the web has been easy. I am quick to complain when I get poor service so feel I must be as quick when the service has been good. The product is outstanding; the fit - after help on the telephone - is perfect and I am very pleased with the speed of delivery. I would add that on wearing the jumper it exceeds my expectations and will get a lot of wear."
- Ian Gough-Jones (March 2013)
"I knew this jumper would be good quality, but have to say, was more than impressed when it arrived. Lansdown, based in Wales, knit their own products and this heavyweight has three layers of high performance fabric and is tightly knitted with double ply yarn making it extremely hardwearing. The lining is 100% acrylic, very comfortable next to the skin. As soon as you pick the jumper up it just feels quality and is certainly as warm as toast to wear - no need to wear lots of layers. The bonus is it's machine washable at 40 degrees C, so go on, treat yourself and you wont be disappointed."
- Rob Williams, "Tried and Tested" feature in farm' n' Equine Magazine, (November 2013)
Horse Rugs
Warm dry ears for Two Stroke the Donkey
"Big thank you to Rebecca Hawkins at Lansdown Country for producing bespoke waterproof ear muffs for Two Stroke our elderly donkey with persistent rainscald. Most impressive don't you think. BTW he has his own donkey diary on www.lhstable.co.uk#LavantHouseStables!
- Lucy Thomson from Lavant House Stables (February 2015)
Please have a look at our full selection of shooting jumpers and our gundog coats.